Crate



Sept. 29, '1 931.

c. AFWOOL'SEY ET AL CRATE Filed March 22, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l //v VNTOR5 E6 A. WOOLSEY HENRY V- BUR/MAN CHABL A TToJE/VEYS c. A. WOOLSEY ET AL 1,825,032

Sept. 29, I931.

CRATE Filed March 22, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2' l4 L m wszvfoks CHAR]. E8 A. woo/s5) l/E/VR Y M Bow/VAN Q14, #14 M A 77oz N E VS Sept. 29, 1931.

c. A. WOOLSEY ET AL CRATE Filed March 22, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 lNVE/VTOZS clue/.55 A. woman fi Y. BOWMAN 4 Trot/v5 rs Sept. 29, 1931. c. A. WOOLSEY ET AL i,825,032

CRATE Filed March 22 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mlvslv-raes H6. 671.431.5814. WOOLSEY HEN Y V. BOWMAN Patented Sept. 29, 1931 cHARLEs A. WOOLSEY, AIINDQHENRY v; Bowman, or mnnaroms, mnso'ra CRATE Application filed March 22, 1930. Serial in. 438,083.

This invention relates to improvements in crates and more particularly to crates of the type used for transporting milkbotles.

An object of the invention is to provide a crate of simple and inexpensive construction,

:been discloseda structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the: invention is not the wallsof which are composed of slats arranged one above another and provided at the corners ofthe crate with means whereby said slats may be secured together to form 1 the walls of the crate without the use of lacing wires such as are now commonly used in structures of this kind.

A further object is toprovide a crate having walls composed of'slats arranged one i above another and plates fitting the corners of the crate and seated against said slats and provided with means adapted to be embedded in the slats, and anchor plates being interposed between the slats at'the corners of gothe crate and having means adapted to engage surfaces of said slats opposite from those engaged by said corner plates,'and means for connecting together said corner and anchor plates to secure the slats in position. 7

e Other objects of the invention will appear Features of the invention reside in the spe- I cific construction of the'co'rners of the crate; in the provision of the corner plates seated against the outer corners of the crate walls and having longitudinally formed channels adapted to be seated-inthe outer surfaces of the slats; in the provision of the anchor plates interposed between said slats 'atthe corners of the crate each of which is provided with ears adapted to engage the inner surfaces of the slats, and has apertures adapted to be alined with the channels in said corner plates in the provision of the locking wires provided at the corners of the crate and adapted to be inserted trough the apertures in said anchor plates and through the channels in the corner plates-whereby the slats will be deniountably secured between said corner and anchor plates; in the general construction and arrangement of the corner and anchor plates in connection with the locking wires;

the locking wires and, in the unique construction of thegrid structure provided in the crate for supporting inspaced relation within the crate, such articles as, .for example, milk bottles.

In the accompanying drawings,'the re has confined to theexact features shown as va- M broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction at the corners of the crate;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing one of-the corner irons removed from a bottom corner of the crate and one of the corner plates swung outwardly to-permitthe removal of a damaged slat from a wall of the crate; I

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line '33 of Figure at showing the construction ofthe I grid structure within the crate Figure 4 is a plan view of theicrate par- I tially broken away; r

F igure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional manneriin which each corner plate may be swung outwardly when one of the locking wires are removed, to permit thereinoval of a damaged slatfromthe crate wall;

Figure 6 isa perspective view showing a corner-of the crate andthe general arrangement of'the corner and anchor plates, and the manner of securing theseparts together by Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the corner irons removed from the crate;

- Figure 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 88 of Figure 13, showing the means for retaining the locking wires in operative position Figure 9 is a detail'sectional view on the" line 99 of Figure 3;

Figure 10 is a perspective view-of thegrid structureonly; and i Figure 11 is a view showing-a blank from which the grid reinforcing plates are formed."

view, showing acorner of the crate and the U best-shown in Figurel. Suitable hand holes 12 are provided in the end walls of the crate, The means provided for securing together the side and end walls at the corners, of-the crate is best shown in Figures 2, 5, and 6, and consists of corner plates 13 of angularicrosssection, and each providedxwith longitudinally extending channels 14 adapted to be seated in-elongated recesses 15, provided in the outersurfaces ofthe slats adjacent the 'ends thereof; The recesses 15 provided in the .slats of each crate wall are :alined as best shown in Figure 1, so that when the slats are assembledin the walls and the cornerplates 13 are mounted thereon, thechannels 14Vprovided at the marginal edges of the corner plates, will be seated in the alined recesses 15, as'clearly'shown in Figure 5.

L-ZThelower end. portion16 of .eachcorner .plate 13 is offset inwardly, as shown in Figure 9 and is seated in the bottom of'a recess 17 provided at the ends of the bottom slats, as best shown in Figures 6 and 9.

Anchor plates -18.are' interposed bet-ween the slatsiatthe corners of the crate as best shown in. Figure. 6 and cooperate with the corner plates 13 to secure the slats in proper 'positio'n.--'Each anchor plate is :provided 5 withyupwardly and downwardly turned ears 19 and 21, respectively, adapted to engage the -innersurfaces:of the slats, as shown. Each anchor plate is further provided at its outer v edggeswith .ofi'set portions 22 having. suitable apertures '23 therein, each adapted to receive a suitable securing or looking .wire 24. As shown 1n Flgures 6 and 8, the apertures 23 are @disposed in alinement withthe channels 14', so

that the wires 24 may be inserted throughthe .apertures 23 and channels 14, and thus secure the slat ends in position therebetween. The

channeled edges of the corner plates 13 are provided. with suitable slots or slits 20 adapted to receive the portions 22 'of-the anchor plates 18.

Corner irons '25 are -secured to the lower corners of the crate walls, as shown in Figuresland 2. *Each corner iron 25 extends inwardly beneath the lower edges of the bottom slats 7 and 11 and have upturned lugs '26 adapted to be seated against the inner surfaces of the bottom slats, as'will be unde'rstood by reference to Figure 9,"which clearly illustrates the assembly of the parts at the lower corner of the crate) Apertures 27 are provided in the outerwallportions of the the crate.

corner irons 25 and are alined with similar apertures 28 provided in the inner lugs 26. The bottom slats 7 and 11, and the offset portions 16 of each corner plate 13, areeprovided with apertures which are alined with the apertures 27 and 28 in the corner iron, when the latter is properly-positioned in the crate corner, so as to permit 'the insertion of suitable rivets or bolts through said alined apertures to secure the parts together.

XVhenl the crate walls are assembled, as shown in Figure 1, the lower ends of the rods 24 will be positioned upon the upper edges of the walls of the corner irons 25, and the upper ends thereof against the upper ends of thechannels'l4, as clearly {shown inFigure 8, thereby retaining the locking wires in operative positions. The lower portions of the corner irons 13 are'provided with oppositely extending lugs 31 adapted 'to overlie the wires 24 when the crate Walls are assembled.

Suitable brackets 32 are provided in the upper, inner corners of the-crate and project above the upper edgesof the top slats as shown in Figures 1,12, and 3, to provide means for nesting or stacking the crates, one

upon another. Whentwo crates are stacked one on top of the other, thebrackets 32 on the lower crate will project upwardly into the bottom of the top crate and thereby retain Y the crates in stackedposition thereon.

I The crate is here shown adapted for use to contain milk bottles or, similar articles, and

-is-provided with a-grid-like structure constituting'the bottom-of the crateand also the separators or partitions between the bottles or articles to be transported therein. The

bottom ofthecrate is composed of a plurality of spaced apart rods 33, here shown extend-.- ing lengthwise ofthe crate and having'their terminals suitablysecured in-the bottom slats 11 of the end walls, asindicated at 34in Figure 3. Cross members 35, preferably of sheet metals-aid ofchannel cross section, are mounted upon the rods 33in spaced relation, as

shown in Figures 3, 4, andlO. Lower portions of the upright walls of the cross members 35 are bent outwardly in opposite directions, as shown in Figures 3 and 10,-t0 proivide alined apertures or guides 36 adapted toreceive cross rods 37 having their terminals suitablysecured in the bottom side slats 7, as

shown in Figure 1. Therods 37. cooperate with the cross members 35 to provide supportsv for the rods 33 forming the bottom of :The partitions in the crate are formedjby plurality of rods .38 and 39 extending lengthwise-of the crate, and. cross rods 41 extending crosswise of the crate. The lower rods 38 'pas'sthrough suitable apertures provided in the cross members35 and have their sembling the entire crate.

as shown in Figure l ting the ends' of the rods,"as indicated at 42 Figure- 3. The upper rods 39' have their terminals similarly secured in the end slats 10, as indicated at 43. Suitable connectors 44 are provided between the'cross members and the upper rods 39 and 41, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. These connectors are preferably U-shaped in cross section and have their lower end portions flattened and suitably secured to the cross members 35 by such means as rivets 45, best shown in Figures 3 and 10. The upper ends of theconnectors '44 are apertured to receive the rods 39 and '41, as shown. The upper endsof the connectors 44 are securely fixed to the rods 39 and 41 by means of reinforcing plates 46, shown in Figures4, 10, and 11,- and have their marginal edges bent downwardly and into engagement with the rods as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The edges 47 of the plates 46 are concaved, as shown in Figure 4, to provide circular compartments for the bottles as will readily be understood by reference to Figures 4 and 10.

the slats of the crate walls, as above described.

The construction of the novel crate herein disclosed is such that if one of the slats in the crate walls becomes damaged or broken and has to be replaced, it may readily be detached or removed from the crate without disas- Figures 2 and 5 illustrate'a manner of removing a slat from a wall'of the crate by simplyremoving the corner irons 25 from one corner of the box andpartially removing one of the vertically disposed corner plates 13. To thus remove aslat from a wall of the crate, the rivets 148 securing the upper end of one of the corner plates 13 to the crate walls and the rivets 49 securing the lower end of said corner plate to the crate walls, are removed, and the corner iron 25 atthat corner of the box detached from the crate, The wire 24 is then withdrawn from the channel-14 and the anchor plates 18, whereupon the corner iron may be swung outwardly to the full line position, shown in Figure 2 and the dotted line position'indicated in Figure 5. v The wire at the opposite end of the crate may be removed by bending the-projection 31 out- "wardly as shown in Figure 2. When the parts are thus positioned, the damaged slat,

here shown as being the second. one from the a top, is swung outwardly, as indicated'in full lines in Figure 4, whereupon thecorner plate at the opposite end'of the'crate will yield sufficiently topermit the slat to become disengaged therefrom without the necessity of having to remove the rivets 48 and 49at that end of the crate. The new slat to-be substituted for the damaged one is then inserted between the corner plate '13- and the ears 21 of the anchor plates 18 at the left hand end of the crate, when viewed as shown in Figure 2, and the opposite end of the slat is then swung into place between the slats 4 and 6,

whereupon the corner plate 13 at the right hand side of the crate, when viewed as shown in Figure'2, is swung back into place and the wire 24 inserted into the channel 14 back of the projections31 at the lower ends of the corner irons 13 and through the alined apertures provided .in the'corner plates 18, as

clearly shown in Figures 6 and 9. The corner-iron-25 is then secured'to the lower corner ofrthe crate by means of the rivets 49 and the upper-end of the corner plate 13 secured to the walls by the rivets 48, thereby securely connecting together all parts. The wire 24 at the opposite end of the crate maybe inserted intothe channel 14 and the projection 31 bent back to its normal position to retain the wire vin locking position. The upper edges of the walls of the corner irons 25 are "positioned to engage the lower endsof the wires24 to retain them in locking position. The brackets 32 at the upper inner corners of the crate are secured to the walls of the crate by the rivets 48 which pass through the corner plates 13, slats 4 and 8 and suitable apertures provided in said brackets.

In someinstances, it may be necessary to remove the corner plates 13 from two corners of the crate as, for example, 1f two or more slats should be damaged. This may readily be done without interferin with the corners at the opposite side ofthe crate so that the -work of repairing a damaged crate is great- 1y simplified. It will also be noted that the wires 24which lock togetherthe anchor and corner-plates do not pass through apertures providedin the slats, as do the lacing wires now commonly used in crates of this character. In the crate herein disclosed, the wires 24 are'e-Xposed andmay readily be removed or detached from the crate walls by simply removing the corner irons 25 at the bottomof the crate. This feature also simplifies the operation of assembling;

The lower edges ofthe crate Walls are suitably reinforced by means of metallic rails 51 and 52;suitably secured to the lower slats 7 and 10 respectively. These rails provide runners for the crate and at the same time, prevent the lower edges of the slats from be-- coming damaged as a result of rough handling, to which crates ofthis character are often sub ected.

We claim as our invention i 1. A crate having walls composedof slats arranged one upon another and provided with alined recesses adjacent. to the corners of the crate, angle plates fitting the outer corners of the crate and having channels'adapt ed to be seated in said recesses, anchor plates 1nsaid anchor plates having apertures therein adapted to be alined with said channels, and

a wire inserted in each channel and through the apertures in said anchor plates alined therewith, thereby to secure together said corner plates, anchor plates and wall slats.

' 2. A crate having walls composed of slats arranged one upon another and provided with vertically disposed alined recesses adjacent to the corners of the crate, angle plates fitting the outer corners of the crate and provided with longitudinally extending channels at the opposite edges thereof adapted to beseated in said recesses, anchor plates interposed between the slats at the corners of the crate and having oppositely extending ears formed thereon adapted to engage inner surfaces of said slats, said anchor plates having apertures therein adapted to be alined with said channels, a locking wire adapted to be inserted in each channel and through the apertures in said anchor plates alined therewith, thereby to 'securetogether said corner plates, anchor plates and wall slats, corner iron fitting over the lower end portions of said angle plates and having portions extending under the lower slats and upwardly into the crate, and means for securing said corner irons to the angle plates and slatss 3; A crate having walls composed of slats arranged one upon another and provided with vertically disposed alined recesses in the outer surfaces thereof and adjacent to the corners of the crate, angle plates fitting the outer corners of the crate and provided with longitudinally extending channels formed in the marginal edges thereof and adapted to be seated in said recesses,'anchor plates interposedbetween contiguous slats at the corners of the crate and having ears formed thereon adapted to engage inner surfaces of adjacent slats, said anchor plates having apertures therein adapted to bealined with the channels in said anchor plates, a wire inserted in each channel and through the apertures in said anchor plates alined therewith to secure together said angle plates and anchor plates with the wall slats secured therebetween, and corner irons secured to the lower corners of the crate and engaging said angle plates to retain said locking wires in operative position. I

4. A crate having walls composed of slats arranged one upon another and provided with alined recesses adjacent to the corners of the crate, angle plates fitting the outer corners of the crate and having channels adapted to be fitted in said recesses, anchorplates interposed between the slats at the corners of the crate and having portions adapted to engage inner surfaces of said slats, said anchor plates having apertures therein adapted to be alined with said channels, and a wire inserted in each channel and through the apertures in said anchor plates, thereby to secure together said corner plates, anchor plates and wall slats. v a

5. A crate having wall-s composed of slats arrang'ed'one upon another with their ends alternately disposed at the corners of the crate, said slats having alined recesses in the outer faces thereof adjacent to the corners of the crate, angle plates fitting over the outer corners of the crate and seated against said slats, said plates having portions adapted to be seated in said recesses,:anchor plates interposed between the slats at the corners of the crate and having apertures therein alined with said recesses, said anchor plates having portions adapted to engage inner surfaces of said slats adjacent to the corners of the crate to prevent inward movement of the slats, and means. extending lengthwise through said alined recesses and engaging portions of said corner plates and also traversing the aperrecesses in the outer faces thereofadjacent to the corners of the crate, corner irons fitting over the outer corners of the crateand concealing the ends of said slats, said corner irons having channel-portions adapted to be seated in said recesses, anchor plates interposed between the slats at the corners of the crate and having portions. engaging inner surfaces of said slats, said anchor plates having apertures therein alined with said recesses, and a wire extending lengthwise through the channel portions of the corner irons seated in said recesses and also traversing the apertures in said ancl1or.plates,whereby said slats will be secured in position at the corners ofth'ecrate.

7. A, crate having walls composed of slats arranged one upon another and provided with alined recesses adjacent to the corners of the crate, corner irons fitting the outer corners of the crate and provided with longitudinally extending channels adapted'to be fitted in said recesses, said'corner irons having slits therein traversing said channels and alined with the joints between the edges of contiguous slats, plates seated against inner faces of said-slats and having portions extending outwardly between the slats and received in the slits in said corner irons, said outwardly extending plate portions having apertures therein adapted to be alined with said channels, and'a member seated in each channel and passing through the apertures in said plate portions, whereby said corner irons, plates, and slats are secured together.

8. A crate having walls composed of slats arranged one upon another with their ends alternately disposed at the cornersof the crate, angle plates fitting over the corners of the crate and concealing the ends of the slats, said angle plates having horizontally disposed slits therein, anchor plates interposed between contiguous slats at the corners of the crate and having portions engaging inner surfaces of certain of said slats, said anchor plates also having portions fitting into the slits in said angle plates and provided with suitable apertures, and a locking wire traversing the apertures in said anchor plates and seated against outer surfaces of said angle plates whereby the ends of the slats will be detachably secured together at the corners of the crate.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 19th day of March, 1930.

CHARLES A, WOOLSEY.v HENRY V. BOWMAN. 

